Audi Offer Schumacher Le Mans Drive

[Ferrari Spider]

Schumacher has qouted in most of this morning's papers that he will NOT be taking up audi's offer. So Martini you can keep both the cars even thought you probably were hoping for reason to change!

Doesn't rule out competing at LM, though, just driving one of those diesel thingies.  Towards the end of the year Ferrari are due to announce with Micheal his future/continuing involvement with the team, wouldn't it be marvellous for Ferrari to come back full bore with a manufacturers supported team with Schumi as either team boss or driver.  Can't wait

[Andy Zarse]

Schumacher has qouted in most of this morning's papers that he will NOT be taking up audi's offer. So Martini you can keep both the cars even thought you probably were hoping for reason to change!

Doesn't rule out competing at LM, though, just driving one of those diesel thingies.  Towards the end of the year Ferrari are due to announce with Micheal his future/continuing involvement with the team, wouldn't it be marvellous for Ferrari to come back full bore with a manufacturers supported team with Schumi as either team boss or driver.  Can't wait

That's not going to happen, worst luck Peter. I would love to see both of them back at LM big time.

The Merc junior team was a terrific idea, giving young guns a great opportunity rather than just employing failed F1 drivers and othe paying drivers.

I don't agree about not wanting manufacturer involvement either, it's vital in my book and we can't keep relying on Audi, much as I dislike them for their dull cars.

[Mr. Rick]

I welcome it if it does happen.  it will bring a higher profile to the sport which means more money/tv coverage to follow.  And then more money maybe plowed back into the sport and circuits themselves.

btw M Schumacher has raced at Le mans before, for Mercedes in the late 80's as part of their junior squad.

Sorry to be pedantic Neilsie but it was 1991. Spoonface finished 5th behind the winning Mazzie and the three Jags.

That car was bought a few years back by Michael Lauer and it raced at the Daytona historic event (as support to the Rolex) in 2001 and Lauer had a high speed blow-out in the tri-oval; caught it all on camera in a sequence of potential rear-end destroying seconds. Amazingly he held it and damage was limited to bodywork trashed by flailing rubber but made for fairly dramatic photos! If I get my act together 2nite, I'll post them here later!

 

[neilsie]

I welcome it if it does happen.  it will bring a higher profile to the sport which means more money/tv coverage to follow.  And then more money maybe plowed back into the sport and circuits themselves.

btw M Schumacher has raced at Le mans before, for Mercedes in the late 80's as part of their junior squad.

Sorry to be pedantic Neilsie but it was 1991. Spoonface finished 5th behind the winning Mazzie and the three Jags.



That car was bought a few years back by Michael Lauer and it raced at the Daytona historic event (as support to the Rolex) in 2001 and Lauer had a high speed blow-out in the tri-oval; caught it all on camera in a sequence of potential rear-end destroying seconds. Amazingly he held it and damage was limited to bodywork trashed by flailing rubber but made for fairly dramatic photos! If I get my act together 2nite, I'll post them here later!

 

no worries..  I blame Kroneburg for destroying my memory! 

[neilsie]

28 cars in 1992 of which only 14 finished. Warwick, Blundell and Dalmas won but they must have felt it was a hollow victory in the circs.
Anorak off.

yeah i remember standing down by the Esses at 6am and waiting for what seemed like 5 minutes intervals for the cars to appear.  Always enjoyed the racing at the crack of Dawn (bless her little heart) but that year was sheer boredom.   At least the "fun"fair was still fun in those days!

[Boorish Grobian]

Grumble...Couldn't care less if the guy ever races again, wouldn't walk across the street to see him.  Been over this before, the guy's won a bunch of races and titles, but with so little grace and diginity.  As far as I'm concerned he can retire back to Switzerland, grow a long beard, long fingernails, and lock himself in a room like Howard Hughes.
I don't buy into celebrity worship.  Just what we need is a F1 prima donna on the grid so his cult (I'm mean fans) can fawn all over him and chant his name in worship.
Why would Le Mans need him?  The race seems to have done just fine the past fifteen years since his last appearance.
Fax

[Pilgrim]

Grumble...Couldn't care less if the guy ever races again, wouldn't walk across the street to see him.  Been over this before, the guy's won a bunch of races and titles, but with so little grace and diginity.  As far as I'm concerned he can retire back to Switzerland, grow a long beard, long fingernails, and lock himself in a room like Howard Hughes.
I don't buy into celebrity worship.  Just what we need is a F1 prima donna on the grid so his cult (I'm mean fans) can fawn all over him and chant his name in worship.
Why would Le Mans need him?  The race seems to have done just fine the past fifteen years since his last appearance.
Fax

That and he didn't seem to mind knocking other drivers out of races, or trying to knock them out when it suited him.

Hill, Villeneuve anyone?

[Jem]

Ban him.

J

[Nordic]

Ban him.

J

Hang him

N

[termietermite]

A bit over the top I think.  Just keep him away from sports cars please - don't much care how.

[Robbo SPS]

Grumble...Couldn't care less if the guy ever races again, wouldn't walk across the street to see him.  Been over this before, the guy's won a bunch of races and titles, but with so little grace and diginity.  As far as I'm concerned he can retire back to Switzerland, grow a long beard, long fingernails, and lock himself in a room like Howard Hughes.
I don't buy into celebrity worship.  Just what we need is a F1 prima donna on the grid so his cult (I'm mean fans) can fawn all over him and chant his name in worship.
Why would Le Mans need him?  The race seems to have done just fine the past fifteen years since his last appearance.
Fax

Welcome back john, i guess you've recovered all the teddies from the cot ??

Looking at world champions - Solberg - Jumped for joy at the WRC a few years back. Rossi - amazing with bikes and a true gent.

Schmi - Nonce, no charisma - and that's the problem why Brits usually don't like him

[Ferrari Spider]

isn't it sad we seem to judging racing drivers on their personalities and charisma?  Rather than actual ability, i know its an old subject and well beaten about, I'm at the end of a rather long queue when it comes to the car racing knowledge, so who do you think then out of the current bunch, irrespective of series, has the necessary attributes to fulfill your ideal racing driver.

[Nordic]

Any of them that race, cleanly and fairly with a degree of sportsmanship.

I could not give a toss if they smile or not, love their wives or boyfriends, drive for Ferrari or McLaren.

I don't care if they are Brits, Japs, Indian or whatever, rich or poor, fat or thin, short or tall, Good drvers or tail end charlies with more money than sense. To me its not important.

The ones I can't stand are the whingers and cheats that sometimes come along. Sadly a couple of the fastest drivers in recent years have fallen into that camp IMHO.

[Boorish Grobian]

I'm completely with Nordic, couldn't care less if the guy has the charisma of a rocking chair or Cary Grant.  It's the on track behavior that I judge a driver on.  As has been brought up many times before, many of the things that motor racing people found so reprehensible about a certain deceased Brazilian, they also see in Schumacher.
Mainly being the willingness to resort to foul play, thuggery, or dirty tactics when a situation is not in their favor.  Swerving at, and deliberately colliding with opponents, that childish stunt at Monaco this year, etc.
You'll hear a bunch of nonsense that it shows how "driven or motivated he is" which is a complete pile of crap, what it shows is a complete lack of character, ethics and sense of sportsmanship.  This is what fans want to see at Le Mans?
Over here we have a guy playing Baseball who falls almost exactly into the same category as Schumamcher, his name is Barry Bonds, he's closing in on one of the most hallowed records in all of American sports and has had the talent to be arguably the greatest to have ever played. But he's also one of the most despised figures in sports over here because of his well documented use of growth steriods to increase muscle mass and stamina, in other words, his willingness to cheat to win.
Fax

[termietermite]

Don't give a toss about F1 drivers really but if you were to push my arm a long way up my back, I'd say I watch Nick Heidfeld with more enthusiasm than some.  Keeps his gob shut, doesn't bad-mouth his team mates, apparently (although this is heresay) gives good feedback on the car, goes in for demon starts, drives a crap car pretty well, can overtake legitimately at Monaco.  But every time I pay any attention to how he's driving I just find myself saying "get yourself a drive in a proper car, Nick."